


Elsewhere Musings

by TornThorn



Series: You'll Find Me Elsewhere [3]
Category: Elsewhere University (Webcomic)
Genre: (literally), Aliens, BDSM, Betrayal, Birds, Centaurs, Character Death, College, Crows, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, Demonic Possession, Drabbles, Dragons, Fae & Fairies, Fae Drugs, Foxes, Gambling with The Fair Folk, Kitsune, Murder, Nephilim, Power Structures of the Fae, Seelie Court, Selkies, Shifters, Unicorns, University, Unseelie Court, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2018-10-14 08:04:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10532310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TornThorn/pseuds/TornThorn
Summary: A collection of unconnected drabbles and ideas about Elsewhere University.





	1. Whitehall Dorm, Floor 2

The Whitehall Dorm doesn’t appear very intimidating. Neither do its inhabitants. In fact, most humans pass through the small building without another thought.

And in the past, the Gentry have tried to burn the entire place to the ground in hopes of destroying the second floor.

Even those who live in the five single-person rooms on Floor 2 don’t know why the fae hate them.

Here is what the administration and the fae know that the students do not: Every year, some of the prospective college-goers are not entirely human. (No, not changelings.) They are something(s) _else_ , and their blood and heritage means the fae cannot affect them. Not even a true name allows the fae any power, because these students have protections built in.

Room 201 houses a girl called Serafina. She has silver marks in the shape of wings on her back, and her eyes glow an unearthly blue when hymns are sung in her presence. (Her mom is named Lisa, and her mama is named Eloa.)

Room 203 has a coffin in one corner, filled with the dirt of Reginald’s homeland, and he keeps a mini-fridge for plastic bags full of his favorite meal. When he brings back a hook-up, they always walk away disheveled and happy, but a little dizzy and with a huge hickey on their neck.

Room 205 looks normal (the gleaming chrome, bright lights and changed gravity hidden) until the perception filter is switched off. Pluyki seems normal until then too; it was part of the deal with zir parents to spend a few years at an earth college before taking over the family business. (They had grudgingly agreed that perhaps time on another planet would give zir experience for when ze takes the throne of their planet in the Haxalv Galaxy.)

Room 207 is lived in by roommates, although you wouldn't know it. A boy who goes by two names - Shy and Belphegor. (One of these names is true, but it makes no difference.) When the boy is kind and mild, he goes by Shy. When he is inventive and unhelpful, he goes by Belphegor. (The two are stuck and have become comfortable in the status quo.) Both avoid Sera as much as possible.

Room 209 is occupied by Gold. She hoards books and stories, and _never_ loans them out. (She is _not_ related to the slumbering Wyrm curled beneath the abandoned English building. Her family has _elegant_ magic that allows _them_ to change shape, and _he_ is stuck with brimstone breath and claws the size of a _car_.)

It’s very annoying to the fae to have such deliciously powerful beings in their territory, and know they’ll never taste a single mouthful of said power.

The folks on Floor 2 of the Whitehall Dorm don’t care. They’re just trying to get a college education. And the less trouble from the fae several of their friends have spoke of (but which no one on Floor 2 has ever seen), the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Wyrm was first spoken of by themagnificentgod on the official Elsewhere University blog. Word of God (charminglyantiquted) has made the Wyrm canon.


	2. BDSM & the Good Neighbors

The thing about the BDSM community at EU… (It's a  _liberal arts college_. Not only is there a BDSM community, the participants are fairly open about it.) Anyway, the thing is, the fae find the whole thing not just interesting, but  _seductive_. There are people who actually  _enjoy_  pain and humiliation and domination. Who like handing control of their body or their choices or their life over to someone else. There are those who are called "master" or "lady" or "sovereign" by eager, worshipful "slaves". And, by the old gods, do the fae want in on that.

 _But_ , and here's the rub, the community members fervently _do not want_  the fae anywhere near them. Because the fae firmly believe that Might Makes Right. Their ideas of consent are hazy at best, while a good dom knows that consent is sexy, and that it only works if the sub is the one who really controls everything. The dom comes up with the scenes and decides how they play and gives orders, but the sub is the one who chooses to follow. The sub is the one who decides if things have gone too far. And the fae would neither understand nor respect that.

Add to that how much power safewords and titles can hold, and every instance of community members putting on scenes (in private or large get togethers) involves a circle of salt around the building and another around the scene itself, and  _everyone_  is required to prominently wear something made of iron and is tested on the way in to each mixer.

And the fae are unable to enter the community, and they hate that. Every member follows the rules so judiciously that the fae can't step one foot into their spaces or scenes. Because if there's one thing the participants understand, it's safety.


	3. Birds

Everyone has heard the phrase "a murder of crows" to describe a large group of the birds. On the other hand, few know the other important phrases, born of the 1486 _Book of Saint Albans._  (Specifically, its list on the Compaynys of Beestys and Fowlys.) Magpies come in tidings. Owls in parliaments. Grackles in plagues. Lapwings in deceits. And the ravens come in an unkindness, or a conspiracy. Be kind to those who wear feathers and call the air home, be respectful. But do not forget the distant wisdom in how they were named.


	4. The Victor

For a new semester, a student shows up that half the fae avoid like the plague, and half seem to near worship. They already know the rules, without anyone having to explain. When their roommate finally asks them (in a room lined in salt, and "Ironman" blasting over their whispers) the student smiles.

When they were young, they say, they entered into a game against one of the High Fae, not truly understanding how the game was played or the cost of a soul. But their innocence was a protection, and they played to win. Now they have a bit of magic, and the High Fae? Well, someone had to pay the cost.

(Their roommate isn’t sure whether it’s safer in this person's shadow, or as far away as possible, not when their smile sometimes appears to stretch, wide and white, a hint of the Fair Ones.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one I sent in to the blog super early on anonymous.


	5. Power Structures of Those Beneath the Hill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this doesn't quite mesh with what charminglyantiquated has said, but it's been my take (with a few tweaks) on power structures in the Underground since I was about 12. And yes, it definitely draws inspiration from the Dresden Files, Holly Black's Tithe, and even Harry Potter a bit.

There are three different groups who live in the Underground. There are the Fae, the Animals, and the Shifters. Each group has a different hierarchy.

The Fae have the Courts, which number in the thousands. There are different courts for each season, for whether they call themselves Light (Seelie) or Dark (Unseelie), for different locations. But each court has four distinct positions (sometimes five) which are the highest any individual fae can reach, and the most power they can have.

Despite humans considering the titles gendered, they are not. (The fae do not understand gender the way humans do.)

The highest title is the Ancient One, also recognized as the Crone. The Ancient One holds the most power and can override any of the other titled beings, but rarely does. They have passed the need for politics, transcending the court system, becoming Lovecraftian in nature and are on their way to joining what the fae perceive as “royalty”, the eldritch horrors so huge and terrible that to see them is to lose what sanity you had.

Beneath the Ancient One is the Queen, or Mother. The Queen is the final word on any dealings of the court, running the day-to-day and making judgments. One day, the Queen will become the Ancient One in turn, but for now the Queen is bogged down in manipulating their court, and struggling for power against other courts. It is the Queen who directs battle and rides at the head of any war party, and it is the Queen who gains first tribute following any victory, be it on the field of war or a game of wits.

Below the Queen is the Lady, often referred to as the Maiden, although virginity has nothing to do with it. The Lady tends to appear lighthearted, in charge of parties and entertainments for the court. The Lady is also the master of spies, and it is the Lady who holds all official contracts. The Lady is trusted to make judgments and rule when the Queen is absent or busy (or bored). They must be, for when the Queen becomes the Ancient One, the Lady will become Queen.

Then there is the Knight. They are tasked with training the court’s warriors, and protecting the Queen and the Lady (and, if there is one, the Consort). The Knight bows to no will except that of their protectorates. They will never gain a higher office, and their life is devoted to the Lady and the Queen. If ever they are unable to fulfill their duty, they are replaced in a tournament that ends in their death, and their killer takes their place. (If the new Knight is unsuitable, the Lady will have them quietly assassinated, and another will be appointed.)

The occasional last member of the titled fae is the Consort. They are there for the pleasure of the Queen (and sometimes the Lady and Knight as well). While they have a life of luxury and power and can order about the court, they are not trusted to judge, and cannot direct the Knight. They will never be put in a situation where they could lead, and should they appear to be pushing the boundaries of their office, or fail to occupy the Queen, they will be killed, and the position will be given to another. And if ever they are involved in the death of either Queen or Lady, they are not simply murdered, but fed to the Ancient One.

The fae are able to work their way up in their court through right of conquest or currying favor, although they will never gain the spot of Lady or Queen by challenging the current titled fae to a duel, as those positions are by appointment only. On the other hand, as stated previously, the role of Knight can be taken by force. As a result, between challenges and protecting the Queen and Lady, the Knight tends to be fighting near constantly.

The courts are caught in a perpetual struggle against one another, sometimes through actual, bloody war, sometimes using political maneuvering, all in an attempt to gain power. Despite this, none of them will ever successfully upset the balance. Each court has their allies and arch-enemies, and whilst the nobles must swear allegiance to the titled, an oath difficult or even impossible to break as it is sworn on their True Names, the minor fae are unsworn and can drift between courts at will. Should any of the titled realize the power they could gain from coercing the minor fae to swear to them, the struggle would end and the court in question would reign supreme. But from their high thrones of gold and precious metals, they fail to see the minor fae as anything beyond a powerless mass of minions, amusement and cannon fodder.

As for the Animals, who rules varies from group to group. For instance the Corvids have a ruling pair, King and Queen, and their issue are royal and one day the wisest among them will take the title of King. Any corvid may speak out against the decisions of the royals without threat of retaliation, but it is the royals who make the final decisions. The Foxes have a ruling council of nine, and while most foxes go about their lives without needing their ruling or input, any serious disputes are brought before the Nine, and those involved swear to abide by their judgment. Dragons have a class system of sorts, some who consider themselves above others and act as though it actually places them there, but no rulers and no final arbiter. Centaurs have a seer who reads the stars. They direct the centaurs in times of peace, and choose their leaders in times of war. Unicorn herds are generally small and wary of outsiders, even of their own species. They are led by the eldest mare or stallion, who is trusted to be the best for the herd, due to their many years of life.

Finally, there are the Shifters, who can trade their skin or pelt for a human form. Selkies and werewolves and kitsunes, among many others. They live in packs, separate from both Fae and Animal, and each group is run by the Pack Leader. In this, they are the most like humans. Pack leaders can be chosen, or they can take power on their own merit or through a coup. The way each pack leader rises to the position is unrelated to how any other pack leaders comes to power.

Animals consider themselves unencumbered by the messy political dealings of the Fae, while the Fae look down on the Animals for having no interest in fighting for power. Shifters hold themselves apart from either, also believing they are better than the others. Animals and Shifters prefer to live Above, and tend to like one another and humans better than the Fae. The other thing that sets them apart from the Fae is their ability to lie, something the Fae envy, and which leaves them  _very_ hesitant to make alliances, since all that holds the Animals and Shifters to their word is "honor".


	6. Bang Bang

She wanted to be one of them. That was always her problem.  
  
Mercy was young, the youngest child of her line, and she listened to the stories they told around the hearth with fascination and eyes that glittered with curiosity and excitement. There was a school, she knew, where they would go and learn many things. And when she came of age, despite being told no again and again and again, she went too.

It was not what she expected. Everyone was wary, and while there may have been the impossibilities and astonishments she heard of as a child, they were few and far between. Mostly, those she met were busy with their own pursuits and goals. Still, Mercy was determined to have adventures.

She made herself easy to meet, easy to speak to, open to their interest. And there was one in particular who took her up on it.

He was everything she could have imagined, sweet and funny and willing to accept their differences, insisting they were nothing in the face of friendship. They were from different realities but, he insisted, here they could meet and grow together.

She went home during the winter break, and her sister took one look and knew. _Don't do this_ , she tried to beg Mercy. _It's dangerous. It's not safe. You need to protect yourself from them, not give away your heart._

And Mercy laughed. She trusted him, she told her sister. He was good and beautiful and she would tell him how she felt as soon as she went back to campus.

Her sister told their family, and each of them tried to convince her it was folly. _None of them are good, none of them are safe_ , they tried to warn her. _They are greedy and cold and they'll take you as a captive or sell you for a good cost._

 _You're wrong_ , she responded, over and over. _Not him. Not him._

And when she thought they would keep her from going back, she slipped away in the dead of night and hurried back to the school.

On the first day of the semester, she met him near the woods and her smile was brilliant. _I have something for you_ , she grinned, wide and white and sharp. And reaching up with scaled hands, she drew her beating heart from between her crooked, velvet covered ribs and offered it to him.

He stared in shock, then began to laugh. _That was way easier than I expected_ , he admitted, grabbing up her heart. And then he pulled a gun from his pocket, loaded with iron rounds, and shot her three times.

Mercy sprawled on the ground, not understanding. How had this happened? How had she been so wrong? She didn't see him open a pouch of silver, or pull out a little spray bottle of lighter fluid, or click the lighter until it flamed. All she saw were her sister's tears, opals that raced down bright blue cheeks, when Mercy told her she thought she loved him.

* * *

 

A day later, there was someone selling something in the library bathroom.

 _$10 for a pinch._ The boy smiled, and his teeth were slightly yellowed and a little crooked, and his eyes were a watery blue, and his skin was pockmarked by acne, and he was not tall or short or significant in any way. He was as human as human could be, a purveyor of all the cruelty inherent in the species. And he quietly offered up a little bag to freshmen and seniors alike, with a wink and a smirk. _Only $10 for a pinch of the ashes._

After all, fae blood and bones and heart is good for all your woes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written while listening to this gorgeous cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Km0M9x4Bg


End file.
